The Golden Ass

Chapter 1

How a young man came and declared the miserable death of
Lepolemus and his wife Charites.

About midnight came a young man, which seemed to be one of the
family of the good woman Charites, who sometimes endured so much
misery and calamity with mee amongst the theeves, who after that
hee had taken a stoole, and sate downe before the fireside, in the
company of the servants, began to declare many terrible things that
had happened unto the house of Charites, saying: O yee
house-keepers, shepheards and cowheards, you shall understand that
wee have lost our good mistris Charites miserably and by evill
adventure: and to the end you may learne and know all the whole
matter, I purpose to tell you the circumstances of every point,
whereby such as are more learned then I (to whom fortune hath
ministred more copious stile) may painte it out in paper in forme
of an History. There was a young Gentleman dwelling in the next
City, borne of good parentage, valiant in prowesse, and riche in
substance, but very much given and adicted to whorehunting, and
continuall revelling. Whereby he fell in company with Theeves, and
had his hand ready to the effusion of humane blood; his name was
Thrasillus. The matter was this according to the report of every
man. Hee demanded Charites in marriage, who although he were a man
more comely then the residue that wooed her, and also had riches
abundantly, yet because he was of evill fame, and a man of wicked
manners and conversation, he had the repulse and was put off by
Charites, and so she married with Lepolemus. Howbeit this young man
secretly loved her, yet moved somewhat at her refusall, hee busily
searched some meanes to worke his damnable intent. And (having
found occasion and opportunity to accomplish his purpose, which he
had long time concealed) brought to passe, that the same day that
Charites was delivered by the subtill meane and valiant audacity of
her husband, from the puissance of the Theeves, he mingled himselfe
among the assembly, faining that he was glad of the new marriage,
and comming home againe of the maiden, Whereby (by reason that he
came of so noble parents) he was received and entertained into the
house as one of their chiefe and principall friends: Howbeit under
cloake of a faithfull welwiller, hee dissimuled his mischievous
mind and intent: in continuance of time by much familiarity and
often conversation and banketting together, he fell more and more
in favour, like as we see it fortuneth to Lovers, who first doe
little delight themselves in love: till as by continuall
acquaintance they kisse and imbrace each other. Thrasillus
perceiving that it was a hard matter to breake his minde secretly
to Charites, whereby he was wholly barred from the accomplishment
of his luxurious appetite, and on the other side perceiving that
the love of her and her husband was so strongly lincked together,
that the bond betweene them might in no wise be dissevered,
moreover, it was a thing impossible to ravish her, although he had
consented thereto, yet was hee still provoked forward by vehement
lust, when as hee saw himselfe unable to bring his purpose to
passe. Howbeit at length the thing which seemed so hard and
difficill, thorough hope of his fortified love, did now appeare
easie and facill: but marke I pray you diligently to what end the
furious force of his inordinate desire came. On a day Lepolemus
went to the chase with Thrasillus, to hunt for Goates, for his wife
Charites desired him earnestly to meddle with no other beasts,
which were of more fierce and wilde nature. When they were come
within the chase to a great thicket fortressed about with bryers
and thornes, they compassed round with their Dogs and beset every
place with nets: by and by warning was given to let loose. The Dogs
rushed in with such a cry, that all the Forrest rang againe with
the noyse, but behold there leaped out no Goat, nor Deere, nor
gentle Hinde, but an horrible and dangerous wild Boare, hard and
thicke skinned, bristeled terribly with thornes, foming at the
mouth, grinding his teeth, and looking direfully with fiery eyes.
The Dogs that first set upon him, he tare and rent with his tuskes,
and then he ranne quite through the nets, and escaped away. When
wee saw the fury of this beast, wee were greatly striken with
feare, and because wee never accustomed to chase such dreadfull
Boares, and further because we were unarmed and without weapons, we
got and hid our selves under bushes and trees. Then Thrasillus
having found opportunity to worke his treason, said to Lepolemus:
What stand we here amazed? Why show we our selves like dastards?
Why leese we so worthy a prey with our feminine hearts? Let us
mount upon our Horses, and pursue him incontinently: take you a
hunting staffe, and I will take a chasing speare. By and by they
leaped upon their Horses, and followed the beast. But hee returning
against them with furious force, pryed with his eyes, on whom hee
might first assayle with his tuskes: Lepolemus strooke the beast
first on the backe with his hunting staffe. Thrasillus faining to
ayde and assist him, came behind, and cut off the hinder legges of
Lepolemus Horse, in such sort that hee fell downe to the ground
with his master: and sodainely the Boare came upon Lepolemus and
furiously tare and rent him with his teeth. Howbeit, Thrasillus was
not sufficed to see him thus wounded, but when he desired his
friendly help, he thrust Lepolemus through the right thigh with his
speare, the more because he thought the wound of the speare would
be taken for a wound of the Boars teeth, then he killed the beast
likewise, And when he was thus miserably slaine, every one of us
came out of our holes, and went towards our slaine master. But
although that Thrasillus was joyfull of the death of Lepolemus,
whom he did greatly hate, yet he cloked the matter with a
sorrowfull countenance, he fained a dolorous face, he often
imbraced the body which himselfe slew, he played all the parts of a
mourning person, saving there fell no teares from his eyes. Thus
hee resembled us in each point, who verily and not without occasion
had cause to lament for our master, laying all the blame of this
homicide unto the Boare. Incontinently after the sorrowfull newes
of the death of Lepolemus, came to the eares of all the family, but
especially to Charites, who after she had heard such pitifull
tydings, as a mad and raging woman, ran up and down the streets,
crying and howling lamentably. All the Citizens gathered together,
and such as they met bare them company running towards the chasse.
When they came to the slaine body of Lepolemus, Charites threw her
selfe upon him weeping and lamenting grievously for his death, in
such sort, that she would have presently ended her life, upon the
corps of her slaine husband, whom shee so entirely loved, had it
not beene that her parents and friends did comfort her, and pulled
her away. The body was taken up, and in funerall pompe brought to
the City and buried. In the meane season, Thrasillus fained much
sorrow for the death of Lepolemus, but in his heart he was well
pleased and joyfull. And to counterfeit the matter, he would come
to Charites and say: O what a losse have I had of my friend, my
fellow, my companion Lepolemus? O Charites comfort your selfe,
pacifie your dolour, refraine your weeping, beat not your breasts:
and with such other and like words and divers examples he
endeavoured to suppresse her great sorrow, but he spake not this
for any other intent but to win the heart of the woman, and to
nourish his odious love with filthy delight. Howbeit Charites after
the buriall of her husband sought the meanes to follow him, and
(not sustaining the sorrows wherein she was Wrapped) got her
secretly into a chamber and purposed to finish her life there with
dolour and tribulation. But Thrasillus was very importunate, and at
length brought to passe, that at the intercession of the Parents
and friends of Charites, she somewhat refreshed her fallen members
with refection of meate and baine. Howbeit, she did it more at the
commandement of her Parents, then for any thing else: for she could
in no wise be merry, nor receive any comfort, but tormented her
selfe day and night before the Image of her husband which she made
like unto Bacchus, and rendred unto him divine honours and
services. In the meane season Thrasillus not able to refraine any
longer, before Charites had asswaged her dolor, before her troubled
mind had pacified her fury, even in the middle of all her griefes,
while she tare her haire and rent her garments, demanded her in
marriage, and so without shame, he detected the secrets and
unspeakeable deceipts of his heart. But Charites detested and
abhorred his demand, and as she had beene stroken with some clap of
thunder, with some storme, or with the lightning of Jupiter, she
presently fell downe to the ground all amazed. Howbeit when her
spirits were revived and that she returned to her selfe, perceiving
that Thrasillus was so importunate, she demanded respite to
deliberate and to take advise on the matter. In the meane season,
the shape of Lepolemus that was slaine so miserably, appeared to
Charites saying, O my sweet wife (which no other person can say but
I) I pray thee for the love which is betweene us two, if there he
any memorie of me in thy heart, or remembrance of my pittifull
death, marry with any other person, so that thou marry not with the
traitour Thrasillus, have no conference with him, eate not with
him, lie not with him, avoid the bloudie hand of mine enemie,
couple not thy selfe with a paricide, for those wounds (the bloud
whereof thy teares did wash away) were not the wounds of the teeth
of the Boare, but the speare of Thrasillus, that deprived me from
thee. Thus spake Lepolemus, unto his loving wife, and declared the
residue of the damnable fact. Then Charites, awaking from sleepe,
began to renew her dolour, to teare her garments, and to beate her
armes with her comely hands, howbeit she revealed the vision which
she saw to no manner of person, but dissimuling that she knew no
part of the mischiefe, devised with her selfe how she might be
revenged on the traitor, and finish her owne life to end and knit
up all sorrow. Incontinently came Thrasillus, the detestable
demander of sodaine pleasure, and wearied the closed eares of
Charites with talke of marriage, but she gently refused his
communication, and coloring the matter, with passing craft in the
middest of his earnest desires gan say, Thrasillus you shall
understand that yet the face of your brother and my husband, is
alwayes before mine eies, I smell yet the Cinamon sent of his
pretious body, I yet feele Lepolemus alive in my heart: wherefore
you shall do well if you grant to me miserable woman, necessarie
time to bewaile his death, that after the residue of a few months,
the whole yeare may be expired, which thing toucheth as well my
shame as your wholsome profit, lest peradventure by your speed and
quicke marriage we should justly raise and provoke the spirit of my
husband to worke our destruction. Howbeit, Thrasillus was not
contented with this promise, but more and more came upon her:
Insomuch, that she was enforced to speake to him in this manner: My
friend Thrasillus, if thou be so contented untill the whole yeare
be compleate and finished, behold here is my bodie, take thy
pleasure, but in such sort and so secret that no servant of the
house may perceive it. Then Thrasillus trusting to the false
promises of the woman, and preferring his inordinate pleasure above
all things in the world, was joyfull in his heart and looked for
night, when as he might have his purpose. But come thou about
midnight (quoth Charites) disguised without companie, and doe but
hisse at my chamber doore, and my nourse shall attend and let thee
in. This counsell pleased Thrasillus marveilously, who (suspecting
no harme) did alwaies looke for night, and the houre assigned by
Charites. The time was scarce come, when as (according to her
commandement) he disguised himselfe, and went straight to the
chamber, where he found the nourse attending for him, who (by the
appointment of her Mistresse) fed him with flattering talke, and
gave him mingled and doled drinke in a cup, excusing the absence of
her Mistresse Charites, by reason that she attended on her Father
being sick, untill such time, that with sweet talke and operation
of the wine, he fell in a sound sleepe: Now when he lay prostrate
on the ground readie to all adventure, Charites (being called for)
came in, and with manly courage and bold force stood over the
sleeping murderer, saying: Behold the faithfull companion of my
husband, behold this valiant hunter; behold me deere spouse, this
is the hand which shed my bloud, this is the heart which hath
devised so many subtill meanes to worke my destruction, these be
the eies whom I have ill pleased, behold now they foreshew their
owne destinie: sleepe carelesse, dreame that thou art in the hands
of the mercifull, for I will not hurt thee with thy sword or any
other weapon: God forbid that I should slay thee as thou slewest my
husband, but thy eies shall faile thee, and thou shalt see no more,
then that whereof thou dreamest: Thou shalt thinke the death of
thine enemie more sweet then thy life: Thou shalt see no light,
thou shalt lacke the aide of a leader, thou shalt not have me as
thou hopest, thou shalt have no delight of my marriage, thou shalt
not die, and yet living thou shalt have no joy, but wander betweene
light and darknesse as an unsure Image: thou shalt seeke for the
hand that pricked out thine eies, yet shalt thou not know of whom
thou shouldest complaine: I will make sacrifice with the bloud of
thine eies upon the grave of my husband. But what gainest thou
through my delay? Perhaps thou dreamest that thou embracest me in
thy armes: leave off the darknesse of sleepe and awake thou to
receive a penall deprivation of thy sight, lift up thy face, regard
thy vengeance and evill fortune, reckon thy miserie; so pleaseth
thine eies to a chast woman, that thou shall have blindnesse to thy
companion, and an everlasting remorse of thy miserable conscience.
When she had spoken these words, she tooke a great needle from her
head and pricked out both his eies: which done, she by and by
caught the naked sword which her husband Lepolemus accustomed to
weare, and ranne throughout all the Citie like a mad woman towards
the Sepulchre of her husband. Then all we of the house, with all
the Citizens, ranne incontinently after her to take the sword out
of her hand, but she clasping about the tombe of Lepolemus, kept us
off with her naked weapon, and when she perceived that every one of
us wept and lamented, she spake in this sort: I pray you my friends
weepe not, nor lament for me, for I have revenged the death of my
husband, I have punished deservedly the wicked breaker of our
marriage; now is it time to seeke out my sweet Lepolemus, and
presently with this sword to finish my life. And therewithall after
she had made relation of the whole matter, declared the vision
which she saw and told by what meane she deceived Thrasillus,
thrusting her sword under her right brest, and wallowing in her
owne bloud, at length with manly courage yeelded up the Ghost. Then
immediately the friends of miserable Charites did bury her body
within the same Sepulchre. Thrasillus hearing all the matter, and
knowing not by what meanes he might end his life, for he thought
his sword was not sufficient to revenge so great a crime, at length
went to the same Sepulchre, and cryed with a lowd voice, saying: o
yee dead spirites whom I have so highly and greatly offended,
vouchsafe to receive me, behold I make Sacrifice unto you with my
whole body: which said, hee closed the Sepulchre, purposing to
famish himselfe, and to finish his life there in sorrow. These
things the young man with pitifull sighes and teares, declared unto
the Cowheards and Shepheards, which caused them all to weepe: but
they fearing to become subject unto new masters, prepared
themselves to depart away.

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